Irrigation research engineer Michael Scobie has been selected as the CottonInfo Technical Lead for Irrigation, and will use his expertise to help growers continue to improve water use efficiency.
Michael has spent nearly 15 years working in his research field in Australia and overseas. He is a senior research engineer in irrigation and water resources and co-lead of the Ag Tech Adoption team at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) in Toowoomba.
Evaporation accounts for the largest loss of water from irrigated farms, and mitigation technologies have the potential to save substantial volumes of water for Australian cotton growers. Currently his research is largely focused on strategies to mitigate water loss through evaporation from on-farm storages.
A large body of Michael's work is determining the most cost-effective system of solar photovoltaic floats and panels to optimise power generation, maximise evaporation mitigation and minimise cost. This work will help inform the $13 million solar evaporation project led by Ag Econ with support from the Australian Government, CRDC, UniSQ and Macquarie University.
With support from CRDC in conjunction with the One Basin CRC, Michael will be spending time in the regions researching evaporation in the Northern Murray Darling Basin. The project will research and quantify the scale of losses, identify mitigation strategies for small and large storages and develop a roadmap for commercial scale demonstration and adoption of technologies.
"We want to provide growers, policy makers and other stakeholders with a strategic framework for practical, proven solutions that reduce losses and support ongoing resilience," Michael said.
"We would anticipate substantial water savings over the long term, even with the reduced water availability due to climate change.
"For generations, irrigators have accepted evaporation losses as inevitable, factoring the losses into their annual water budgets. We are aiming to reduce the need for that."
Under a third project, Michael is also investigating the use of spray drones to apply chemical film. Research has shown the potential of this innovation to reduce evaporation loss by between two and 10 ML/ha/year in storages in northern NSW and south-east and central Queensland, and between two and seven ML/ha/yr in the southern valleys (based on product performance ranging from 10 to 40 per cent).
"Chemical products provide the most feasible option for large storages but application has always been a barrier, so we are using drones to explore smart targeted application strategies," he said.
"These novel systems need to account for chemical constraints, design and operation, sensors and dosing.
"We are looking into the flexibility of drone application coupled with the optimal low volumes of suppressant required to reduce the cost of the system.
"By only applying the product where and when it is likely to succeed, we can reduce the cost per ML."
Moving into the CottonInfo role means Michael will have the opportunity to share his knowledge while working with growers on an individual basis to reduce losses on farm.
"The water use efficiency achieved already by Australian cotton growers is definitely something the industry should be proud of," Michael said.
"In 2019 I was lucky enough to receive an award that enabled me to live and work in the United States, and I thought I was going to learn from the experts in irrigation.
"It turns out that we are the experts! Australian cotton irrigators are some of the best in the world, and their innovation and adoption of new technology and techniques is second to none."
So what does the future hold and where are the WUE gains likely to be found?
"We are well on the way to improved precision," Michael said. "Broader adoption of automation and control will be key in the next five years, and we will see better-connected sensors to inform these systems.
"The projects focused on mitigating evaporation from storages are really exciting, as evaporation remains one of the 'last frontiers' to manage and accounts for around 40 per cent of water loss on farms.
"I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting more growers from across the industry and initially exploring the southern regions, as I've not spent much time down there. That'll help me to understand the challenges better and identify opportunities for growers."
CottonInfo is the Australian cotton industry's joint extension program and is designed to help connect growers with research. Meet the full CottonInfo Team here.
